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NFL Confidential: Black Monday a time for changes

Rick Osentoski Associated Press Quarterback Matt Ryan (2) has passed the Falcons to the top record in the NFL at 13-2.

David Maialetti Associated Press Philadelphia coach Andy Reid could find himself out of a job on Monday, along with many other head coaches.

New Year’s Eve will not be a day of celebration for many NFL coaches and executives.

It’s Black Monday — the day after the regular season ends — and pink slips will be flying.

Not all the teams will make immediate changes. And not all the teams have telegraphed their decisions. Jaguars owner Shad Khan has not said what changes he plans to make.

But changes will be made around the league. A look at some of them:

Kansas City: General manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel are both likely to depart. The Chiefs made the playoffs two years ago but have regressed to 7-9 last season and 2-13 this year. Pioli gambled that Matt Cassel could be a franchise quarterback and lost.

San Diego:Norv Turner, fired twice before he was hired by A.J. Smith, is gone. In six years with the Chargers, this is Turner’s first losing season, but the team’s record has regressed the past three years. Smith is likely to go out the door with him.

Cleveland: New owner Jimmy Haslam has already hired Joe Banner to run the franchise and likely wants to install his own team, which means GM Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur will be out. It didn’t help that the Browns allowed Washington to trade ahead of them last year to get Robert Griffin III.

Philadelphia: Andy Reid’s 14-year tenure as Eagles coach is likely to end. The Eagles went 8-8 last year, are 4-11 this year and Reid fired both defensive coordinator Juan Castillo and defensive line coach Jim Washburn during a tumultuous season and he will be the next to go. Reid has made it clear he wants to stay in coaching and may have his eye on the San Diego job.

Carolina: GM Marty Hurney was fired during the season and coach Ron Rivera is likely to depart as the new GM hires his own coach. The Panthers need an offensive coach to develop Cam Newton.

Arizona:Ken Whisenhunt never found a quarterback after Kurt Warner retired. He traded for Kevin Kolb, who wasn’t the answer, and didn’t have a backup plan. The Cardinals are 5-11, 8-8 and 5-10 the last three seasons. GM Rod Graves also could depart.

Tennessee: Owner Bud Adams isn’t noted for his patience. Though he likes Mike Munchak, he said he turned off the TV during the 55-7 loss to Green Bay last week. Munchak is14-17 in two seasons.

Buffalo:Chan Gailey is 15-32 in his three years as the head coach and hoped that Ryan Fitzpatrick was the answer at quarterback and he wasn’t. Gailey may not get a fourth season. GM Buddy Nix also may be on thin ice.

New York Jets: Who knows what will happen in the circus called the Jets. There was a report this week that Rex Ryan would prefer being fired if owner Woody Johnson doesn’t spend to make offensive changes. Ryan denied the report, saying he would never quit.

Oakland: Dennis Allen is in his first season but he took over an 8-8 team and is 4-11 going into the final game. Owner Mark Davis and GM Reggie McKenzie are new in their jobs so it is difficult to predict what they might do.

LATE DRAMA IN NFC

The NFL scheduled division games for the final weekend, hoping to end the season on a dramatic note. But all six AFC playoff spots have already been deciding and they’re just jockeying for seeds.

In the NFC, four of the six spots are decided with the Washington- Dallas winner getting one of the other two. If the Cowboys lose, they’re out but the Redskins could still get a wild card if they lose.

If Minnesota beats Green Bay, it clinches the final spot and the Washington-Dallas loser is out.

The New York Giants are mathematically alive. Last year, they clinched a playoff spot by beating Dallas in the finale and went on to win the Super Bowl. This time, even if they beat the Eagles on Sunday, they need Dallas, Minnesota and Chicago all to lose.

NO NEED FOR 18

This season has shown that commissioner Roger Goodell’s idea of going to an 18-game season and expanding the playoffs don’t appear have much merit.

Teams like the Jaguars and Chiefs don’t need two more games. And there are only 15 teams with winning records going into the final week vying for 12 playoff spots. Expanding the playoffs could lead to losing teams making it.

FLAWED PRO BOWL VOTING

The NFL isn’t thrilled with the casual way the players are playing the Pro Bowl. But the voting process – one third of a vote by the fans, players and coaches – remains just as flawed.

Center Jeff Saturday made the team by reputation even though he was recently benched by Green Bay.

And Kansas City punter Dustin Colquitt made it even though he ranks 10th in the AFC with a 40.5 net average. Bryan Anger of the Jaguars was first at 42.4.

The voting process needs an overhaul. If the selections are to be based on merit, having pro scouts do it might be a better idea. Having the fans vote is a good promotional vehicle, but they simply aren’t qualified for the task.

MCNABB LAUGHS LAST?

When Donovan McNabb was quarterback of the Eagles, he caught flak because Philadelphia made the playoffs eight times, but reached the Super Bowl only once and lost to New England.

With the Eagles in freefall, McNabb couldn’t resist reminding his critics that making the playoffs eight times is a positive.

“Making it to the championship game is not easy, and I think they’re starting to see that right now, that getting to the playoffs and going to the NFC title game consistently, it’s just not that easy,’’ he said.

McNabb said quarterbacks should not be judged on their number of Super Bowl wins.

“Myself, Dan Marino, there are a lot of of quarterbacks who have gotten to that point and just haven’t been able to bring it home,’’ he said. “People want to make it look like you have nothing to show for it. Well, we have a lot to show for it.’’

QUOTABLE

“I’m going to be honest. I do not want him to break my record. But he’s such a great player, and I’ll say it: If a record that is meant to go down to one guy, it’d have to be him.’’ Eric Dickerson on Adrian Peterson needing 208 yards on Sunday to break his single-season rushing record.

This story contains information from interviews, other beat writers, Web sites and news service reports.